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| To make a fine hat you need three to four months of handicraft work. |
This research, collected in a book called “The threads that wove our history!” (written by Libertad Regalado), and the documentary video “Toquilla Song” (directed by Javier Andrade), were carried out in the PILE commune of the Montecristi canton, the birthplace of the fine toquilla straw hat.
Both works, commissioned by the INPC and the Ministry of Culture, document the entire process of making these famous products, wrongly called Panama hats. They investigate everything from the sowing and selection of the toquilla straw, to its treatment and subsequent transformation into very fine strands that skilled Manabí hands weave and that can take up to three months to become a fine hat.
The works in the studio show weaving techniques that have been and continue to be transferred from one generation to another, still using tools and skills that, due to their uniqueness, constitute a heritage knowledge that needs to be preserved, disseminated and safeguarded.
Jean Paul Demera, director of INPC-R4, reported that with this important research, efforts can be strengthened to ensure that the hat-making and its historical memory are included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage at risk for its recovery. For his part, Fabián Abad, Director of Culture in Manabí, stated that the recovery of this heritage knowledge allows strengthening the knowledge and appreciation of their work, contributing to the development of important rural communities.
The research works have begun a process of dissemination with high school students from Jipijapa and will be extended to other cantons with the intention of encouraging future generations to appropriate the intangible cultural wealth that Manabí has.
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